Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-06-30
CHURCH-GOING.


ious tendencies in their blood, and no
Christian feeling III their hearts, have
fallen into 'ways that are not good. !"
Much besides what is herein contained
might be said on this subject | prefer,
however, to let this letter stand as it Is.
A personal experience oftentimes con-
tains in itself elements which are of
more practical worth than anything it is
fitting to include in stilted formal argu-
ments on this or any theme. Another
man similarly circumstanced, II he
could be induced to make clean breast
of it, might write very differently,
but | am more than persuaded that a
very large number of men will find that
the writer of this letter has been making
confession which fits their own case III
very many particulars.
You ask how it is that / fell out of my
former habits of church-gOing into those
non-religious practices which, as you
know, / have tried to excuse, but have
never justified. Your question set me
thinking. | tried for once to be honest
with myself. How was it? It was not
that / had lost faith in Christianity. To
class me with with 'infdels and here
tics" would be injustice. 1t began with
mental lassitnde, which was the result
ofoverwork in my business. / tried to
persuade myself that / needed absolute
rest on Sunday / told my wife So
She, in her kindness of heart, rather
encouraged it than otherwise. She
went to church without me; excusing
me on the ground that [ was "all til
out" The Incidence grew upon me,
and after practising it awhile temper
ately, going to church once in two Sun
DAYS, then once in three Sundays, and
so on, / found creeping upon me q
growing indisposition to go at all. |
was rather glad, to tell you the truth, to
find that | had headache on Sunday
morning, or something of a cold, or a
slight Indigestion, providing these af1ic-
tons were not too severe.
That, however, is not the whole truth
My business through me into the society
of men who themselves were not very
remarkable for the depth Of their relig-
ious convictions or the steadiness of
their religious habits. / had no ambi-
tons to be considered a religious man.
Indeed, | much preferred not to have
that reputation; why, l can hardly tell
you. It was not that [ did not in my
heart reverence real and true religious
ness of the spirit. always felt that the
substance of Christianity was eternally
true-that it must be-that there could
be no doubt of it. [ had great aver
sion to religious controversy in the pull
pit and out of it. Militant preaching
was always distasteful to me. | hate
cant in any and every form, both relig-
ious and irreligious, for there is as much
of the one sort as of the other. My
sympathies never went with any minis
ter who employed his time in carping
at others, or in critising little bits of
things in the Bible, or in religious Wor-
ship. And yet | did not want to be
thought better man than eFthe set'' to
which | belonged. 1t was is curious
confession to make, but it is true one.
You will say it indicated want of
moral courage. [ own it. But this feel
ing to which [ refer is enough to con-
troll the habits of some of our strong
business men, and to hold them back
from being in act what they are in heart.
If had had the corage to say to few
men of my acquaintance: Only religion
is my own affair, and not yours" it
would have sayed me from much of
which my conscience does not approve.
There was yet a third thing, and as
confession is good for the soul [ may as
well be frank with you'll had allowed
myself to indulge alienated feeling
toward some of the people in the con-
gregation to which | belonged; this feel
ing soon developed into disposition to
take up that poor pitiful sheer that
Evangelical Christians are less worthy
to pc trusted then many men who make
no religious profession. | tried to
indorse this accusation, but felt so mean
when once it slipped off my tongue
that resolved never again to make the
attempt.
There is something else which I ought
to tell, but this is enough. You have
now the history of my progress toward
almost total abstinence from church.
going. Your next question as to what
brought me back to better mind [ can
answer in a few words: | was sitting
one Sunday morning, with a newspaper
in my hand, feeling really miserable.
My wife and eldest boy had gone to
church [ heard the other children
talking, and the question fell upon my
ear, Horace, when you are man,
which will you do, 90 to church like
mamma does, or stay at home always
and read the newspaper" 81 (said
Horace, eight years old, with great
emphasis on the u shall do neither; |
shall not sit about at home. | shall
have big horse, and Jennie Lincoln
and [ will 90 q ride, and 90 right away
and have lots of fun" That childs
NOICS GGU liz Ol111lh1llS. pSlN LII Ohn
boy in company with others of the loos-
est and most unprincipaled men, and
perhaps women. spending his time in a
way which would break his mothers
heart thought of my white-haired
old father and my placid, amiable
mother, both gone; saw them quietly
walking side by side to church in the
old country-town, and us children fol-
lowing. | could not sit another five
minutes. Up [ rose, and put on hat
and coat, went to the church and slip
ped into pew in the rear-and heard
the sermon, or tried to hear it, for that
boys speech had taken possession of
my soul, and it filed it. My wife was
astonished to see me waiting for her at
the church-door 81 thought / would
come and meet you,'' was all | said.
She knew something unusual was oc
cupying my mind. With that wise
forbearance for which she is distinguish
ed she did not inquire what. That
Sunday afternoon [ went up to my to
my chamber after dinner to get my
usual Sunday nap, but there was no
sleep fer me. / lay there and thought
o1-or tbic culnioct of pbI1rch -C0in0 IT